Hear Car Seat Headrest’s Combustible New Version of ‘Cute Thing’
Car Seat Headrest (Will Toledo) released a revamped version of his 2011 song “Cute Thing.” The original had the shoddy charm of a bedroom recording; the new rendition adds clarity and punch to the drums and piercing guitar.
The sound isn’t the only thing Toledo updated. He tweaks some lyrics, trading in mentions of indie rock star Dan Bejar and the Who’s John Entwistle for shout-outs to Frank Ocean and James Brown. But the primary difference between the two recordings is a sonic one. New details pile up: harmonized backing vocals that push higher and higher, a furiously vamping piano, an impressive array of guitar sounds.
The new version of “Cute Thing” is due to appear on the reworked Twin Fantasy out February 16th. Toledo originally released the record through Bandcamp over six years ago ago, but he says he always hoped to revisit the LP one day. “It was never a finished work,” he explains in a statement accompanying the album announcement. “It wasn’t until last year that I figured out how to finish it.”
Following the album’s release, Toledo will tour sporadically in the U.S., U.K. and Australia through the end of May.